the unknown guest(陌生客)-第43节
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gaoler who； like ourselves； is a lifelong captive。 The gaoler does his best；
he has his own way of speaking； his familiar expressions； he knows； and；
with the aid of the words which he possesses and those which he hears
repeated； he tries to make us understand what he hardly understands
himself。 He does not know exactly whence the sounds come which he
hears； and； according as tempests； wars or riots happen to be uppermost at
the moment； he attributes them to the winds； to tramping soldiers or to
frenzied crowds。 In other words and speaking without metaphor； it is the
medium who draws from his habitual language and from that suggested to
him by his audience the wherewithal to clothe and identify the strange
presentiments； the unfamiliar visions that come from some unknown
region。 If he believes that the dead survive； he will naturally imagine that
it is the dead who speak to him。 If he has a favourite spirit； angel； demon
or god； he will express himself in its name； if he has no preconceived
opinion； he will not even allude to the origin of the revelations which he is
making。 The inarticulate language of the subconsciousness necessarily
borrows that of the normal consciousness； and the two become confused
into a sort of shifting and multiform jargon。 And our unknown guest；
which is not thinking of delivering a course of lectures upon its entity； but
simply giving us as best it can a more or less warning or mark of its
existence； seems to care but little as to the garments in which it is rigged
out； having indeed no choice in the matter； for； either because it is unable
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to manifest itself or because we are incapable of understanding it； it has to
be content with whatever comes to hand。
Besides； if we attribute too exclusively to the spirits that which comes
from another quarter； the mistake is doubtless no great one in its eyes； for
it is not madness to believe that it lives with that which does not die in the
dead even as with that which does not die in ourselves； with that which
does not descend into the grave even as with that which does not take flesh
at the hour of birth。
6
There is no reason therefore to condemn the other theories entirely。
Most of them doubtless contain something more than a particle of truth； in
particular； the great quarrel between the subconscious school and the
spiritualists is based on the whole upon a misunderstanding。 It is quite
possible and even very probable that the dead are all around us； since it is
impossible that the dead do not live。 Our subconsciousness must mingle
with all that does not die in them； and that which dies in them or rather
disperses and loses all its importance is but the little consciousness
accumulated on this earth and kept up until the last hour by the frail bonds
of memory。 In all those manifestations of our unknown guest； it is our
posthumous ego that already lives in us while we are still in the flesh and
at moments joins that which does not die in those who have quitted their
body。 Then does the existence of our unknown guest presume the
immortality of a part of ourselves？ Can one possibly doubt it？ Have you
ever imagined that you would perish entirely？ As for me； what I cannot
picture is the manner in which you would picture that total annihilation。
But； if you cannot perish entirely； it is no less certain that those who came
before you have not perished either； and hence it is not altogether
improbable that we may be able to discover them and to communicate
with them。 In this wider sense； the spiritualistic theory is perfectly
admissible； but what is not at all admissible is the narrow and pitiful
interpretation which its proponents too often give it。 They see the dead
crowding around us like wretched puppets indissolubly attached to the
insignificant scene of their death by the thousand little threads of insipid
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memories and infantile hobbies。 They are supposed to be here； blocking
up our homes； more abjectly human than if they were still alive； vague；
inconsistent； garrulous； derelict； futile and idle； tossing hither and thither
their desolate shadows； which are being slowly swallowed up by silence
and oblivion； busying themselves incessantly with what no longer
concerns them； but almost incapable of doing us a real service； so much so
that； in short； they would end by persuading us that death serves no
purpose； that it neither purifies nor exalts； that it brings no deliverance and
that it is indeed a thing of terror and despair。
7
No； it is not the dead who thus speak and act。 Besides； why bring them
into the matter unnecessarily？ I could understand that we should be
obliged to do so if there were no similar phenomena outside them； but in
the intuition and clairvoyance of nonspiritualistic mediums and
particularly in psychometry we obtain communications between one
subconsciousness and another and revelations of unknown； forgotten or
future incidents which are equally striking； though stripped of the vapid
gossip and tedium reminiscences with which we are overwhelmed by
defunct persons who are all the more jealous to prove their identity
inasmuch as they know that they do not exist。
It is infinitely more likely that there is strange medley of
heterogeneous forces in the uncertain regions into which we are venturing。
The whole of this ambiguous drama； with its incoherent crowds； is
probably enacted round about the dim estuary where our normal
consciousness flows into our subconsciousness。 The consciousness of the
mediumfor we must not forget that there is necessarily always a medium
at the sources of these phenomenathe consciousness of the medium；
obscured by the condition of trance but yet the only one that possesses our
human speech and can make itself heard； takes in first and almost
exclusively what it best understands and what most interests it in the
stifled and mutilated revelations of our unknown guest； which for its part
communicates with the dead and the living and everything that exists。 The
rest； which is the only thing that matters； but which is less clear and less
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vivid because it comes from afar； only very rarely makes its difficult way
through a forest of insignificant talk。 We may add that our
subconsciousness； as Dr。 Geley very rightly observes； is formed of
superposed elements； beginning with the unconsciousness that governs the
instinctive movements of the organic life of both the species and the
individual and passing by imperceptible degrees till it rises to the superior
psychism whose power and extent appear to have no bounds。 The voice of
the medium； or that which we hear within ourselves when； at certain
moments of excitement or crisis in our lives； we become our own medium；
has therefore to traverse three worlds or three provinces： that of the
atavistic instincts which connect us with the animal； that of human or
empirical consciousness； and lastly that of our unknown guest or our
superior subconsciousness which links us to immense invisible realities
and which we may； if we wish； call divine or superhuman。 Hence it is not
surprising that the intermediary； be he spiritualist； autonomist；
palingenesist or what he will； should lose himself in those wild and
